How to Find and Enter Home Makeover Sweepstakes

Beautiful home and outdoor space transformations like the ones you see on networks like HGTV may leave the viewer craving something similar: a renovation of their own so they too can live in luxury, no matter how small the space. Unfortunately, not everybody has thousands of dollars to spend on a spur-of-the-moment renovation, which is why many people look to home makeover sweepstakes.

Winning sweepstakes as large as a home or garden makeover sounds like a one-in-a-billion chance, but the actual chances are much higher. This is because most sweepstakes allow you to enter up to two times per day, so if you are diligent with your entries, your chances are automatically increased—and it won’t even cost you a cent.

Home Makeover Sweepstakes and Contests​

Home & Garden Television (HGTV) was the third-most popular television network in 2016. Though undeniably an addicting network with its popular shows like House Hunters, Property Brothers, Fixer Upper, and more, the popularity likely comes from the non-linear narrative, the exciting before and after photos and the renovation and transformation journey that takes place before the viewers’ eyes.

Because of this spike in popularity for home makeover shows, many companies and networks have partnered up with other companies and started sweepstakes and contests alike.

How to Find and Enter Home Makeover Sweepstakes

When looking for a home makeover sweepstakes, it’s important to look at legitimate sources, companies and websites. If a brand or company you’ve never heard of is hosting a sweepstakes giveaway, steer clear. We’ll talk more about the red flags to note when entering these types of contests.

The easiest way to find home makeover sweepstakes is by looking at your favorite home and garden suppliers, like Lowe’s, Home Depot or big-box furniture stores. Popular magazines, like Good Housekeeping, often host sweepstakes, and television networks, like HGTV, do as well. Here are a few of the most popular garden and home makeover sweepstakes:

HGTV Dream Home Giveaway

Every year, HGTV hosts sweepstakes that gives one lucky winner a free home and other perks, usually a car or extra cash. For 2019, HGTV Dream Home Giveaway features a large lodge-style home in Whitefish, Montana, with modern aesthetics, on a mountain by a lake. These sweepstakes offer $250,000 in cash from Quicken Loans. Enter at www.hgtv.com.

Good Housekeeping $10,000 Kitchen Giveaway

Good Housekeeping hosts a bunch of sweepstakes and giveaway opportunities, and one of the most popular ones is the $10,000 giveaway, which gives the lucky winner $10,000 to put towards their kitchen renovation. Enter at goodhousekeeping.hearstmobile.com.

Good Housekeeping $100,000 Dream Garden Giveaway

Have you and your green thumb been waiting to convert your backyard into an outdoor oasis? These sweepstakes will award you $100,000 for flowers and greenery to upscale your yard. Enter at goodhousekeeping.hearstmobile.com.

Good Housekeeping $25,000 Sweepstakes

While entering the other Good Housekeeping contests, keep this one in mind, too. This prize gives you $25,000 in cash to makeover any room or rooms you want in your home. Yes, $25,000 is a lot of money. What do you think you could do in your home? Enter at goodhousekeeping.hearstmobile.com.

The Home Makeover Sweepstakes from Publishers Clearing House

Publishers Clearing House’s home makeover sweepstakes is perhaps the most luxurious. Publishers Clearing House gives the lucky winner $100,000 to spend on remodeling your home any way you want. Enter at blog.pch.com.

Bassett Furniture $10,000 Giveaway

If you don’t need to remodel your entire home but are looking to refurnish, then the Bassett Furniture giveaway may be for you. This is part of Bassett Furniture’s Holiday Sweepstakes, so even if you miss this year’s entry, you can try again next year. Enter at bassettfurniture.com.

Elle Décor Fabulous Furnishing Sweepstakes

If Bassett Furniture isn’t really your style and you’re looking for something more luxurious and designer, consider looking into Elle Décor. These sweepstakes allow you to enter to win $100,000 to purchase designer furniture. Enter at elledecor.hearstmobile.com.

Realtor’s $45,000 “Get This Look” Sweepstakes

Realtor partnered up with designer Jennifer Farrell and created a sweepstakes that allows you to enter to win up to $45,000 to redesign your home interior. This contest is fun and creative. You choose from a block of pictures that best match your interior look and style, and enter to win “that look.” Enter at www.realtor.com.

Tips and Tricks for Entering a Home Makeover Sweepstakes

The first thing you’ll need to enter a sweepstakes is a computer with good internet connection. Many sweepstakes allow you to enter once or even twice a day, so be sure to read the fine print when you enter to better your chances. When you apply to a home makeover sweepstakes, these are a few things you will want to keep in mind to make it the most smooth-sailing process:

Use Your Legal Name

Use your legal name that matches your government official identification card. This helps avoid any problems with your affidavit if you win. Affidavits are legal documents that contain a statement sworn in writing confirming certain facts, like you won these sweepstakes, and will now receive a home makeover!

Affidavits require personal information, like your full name and social security number, and verify that you comply with the sweepstakes rules, prize terms and restrictions.

Don’t Use a P.O. Box

Use your home address to enter instead of a P.O. box. Sometimes, sweepstakes disallow P.O. boxes as official addresses, and prizes can’t always be delivered.

Create a Dedicated Email Address

Use a dedicated email address for all the sweepstakes you’ll enter. This will help organize your entries and will make it easier for you to recognize any potential winnings.

How to Recognize a Scam

The next thing you’ll want to become familiar with is how to recognize a scam. It may sound easy to ignore a scam, but if it looks legitimate, it is very easy to fall into a sweepstakes scam. Here are some warning signs:

Sweepstakes That Want Your Credit Card Information

Sweepstakes that want you to enter your credit card information are red flags. Legitimate contests do not require your card information. You should never have to pay any fee when entering a contest. Another common term is “sweepstakes taxes,” that require you to pay your taxes upfront. This is not true. If you win the contest, your sweepstakes taxes will be paid directly to the IRS along with your regular tax return.

“Winning” Email Sent from Unaffiliated Address

If you receive a winning email from a free email address, like Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, etcetera, it is likely a scam. Winning emails should come from the contest runner’s official website, like theellenshow.com or pch.com. Think about it this way: ig companies don’t need free email addresses.

Don’t Remember Entering?

If you receive an email claiming you’ve won a contest, but you don’t remember entering it, this is another red flag for a scam. Unfortunately, the internet is a big place, and your information is not always private and secure. Fishy websites will sell your information to others; they can gain access to your email address and try to get you to buy into the scam.

Have you ever noticed that when you go shopping on Amazon, the same product shows up on Facebook advertisements? It’s the same thing with selling your email address and what you use it for. This isn’t always the case; there may be times you simply forget which contests you’ve entered. Verify by calling the phone number and doing careful research on the sweepstakes to make sure it is legitimate.

Received a Large Check in the Mail

Receiving a large check in the mail from a sweepstake sounds great but can actually be problematic. To cash in a counterfeit check is a crime and can make you liable for fines and a potential closure for your bank account. It’s important to remember that legitimate sweepstakes require affidavits before sending a check of more than $600.

Wiring Money

Sweepstakes scams will sometimes ask that you wire money through legitimate organizations, like Western Union. Con artists like to use Western Union because wired money is treated like cash and is hard to trace, so once you send that money, you’ll likely never see it again. Again, you should not have to pay any fee to enter a sweepstakes.

Conclusion

When entering a sweepstakes, remember the tips and tricks, and most importantly, any red flags that could point to a scam. Other key red flags to note are typos in the winning notification, not addressing you by your name, arriving in mass amounts of bulk and spam mail or if your win is from a lottery you didn’t buy a ticket for.

Otherwise, what are you waiting for? It’s time to spoil yourself and give your home and garden a new look. Check out one of the many sweepstakes we listed above, or find one that better fits your needs and enter today. You never know. You could be the winner.